Health Tip of the Day

“Getting fruity . . . One bite at a Time”

(go on, you know you want to ;-)

Some good sources of Omega 3 fatty acids are 

wild pacific salmon, anchovies, fish oil, 

canola oil, flaxseeds, flaxseed oil,

 mackerel and walnuts.

Growing Walnuts

What a Lovely Pair

Resurrection of a blog?

You'll get a regular dose of fruityness here,

that's for sure!

Abonophobia: A fear of falling off the edge of things whilst mullin over the importance of place names like Clayton. This is a fear that, unknowingly, You Too may share!

Today we're going to discuss the very serious mental and emotional disorder known as Abonophobia, which is a fear of falling off the edge of things, especially ground floor window sills attached to bungalows . . . and particularly those without a second floor, whilst wearing designer sun glasses; this is a fear which you too may share!  

Abonophobics are many and varied in nature, but recently the most serious cases have become known by the cult name The Eclectic Abonophobics.

Now, a study at the University of Clayton, Ontario, Cannabista, indicated that the greatest fear of Eclectic Abonophobics appears to be the fear of falling off edge of the world, although, due to their eclectic nature, they also fear falling off of a very wobbly pile of CD's, especially those comprising no line on the horizon, which is kind of ironic really. Professor Larry Mullen, Jr., told us, and we miss quote him completely here (unfortunately Miss Quote was not available to correct her errors in time for today's publication), "Abonophobics will not travel by boat or ship due to their overwhelming fear of falling over the edge of their perceived flat world. They prefer to fly, just as long as the pilot assures them that the aircraft will not approach the edge of the world at Twilight, and they will avoid the three sunrises of the unforgettable fire!

Getting back on track, it has been discovered very recently that people who suffer from Abonophobia often, but not always, think that the world is flat, this is because their thinking is linear and therefore there is every likelihood that they may fall off the edge if they take to the high seas in search of Dublin, four leaf clovers, leprechauns, unicorn, and Murphy's Law of Improbable Discoveries. 

Abonophobics will rarely be seen wearing designer sunglasses for fear that they may begin to sing in places where the streets have no name whilst searching relentlessly for a Joshua Tree.

People who suffer from Abonophobia are happy to live with or without you, preferably without you if your name is Zooropa The Wanderer and you want to Stay . . faraway, so close!; because that's just way too confusing!

Abonophobics realise that although there may be no line on the horizon at the moment, there may well be soon if they don't learn how to dismantle an atomic bomb . . and so they feel desperate to take one step closer to peace on earth before... there is a one minute warning and everything gets out of control and the whole thing goes . . . POP!

This blog post comes to you today courtesy of 'Abonophobics Anonymous', whom took no liberties whilst looking like a Bad Baby Face(d) Angel of Harlem, Always, even on a Beautiful Day stuck in a moment you can't get out of and suffering from Vertigo..., like an Acrobat When Love Comes to Town, unable to get the Crumbs from your Table cos they've done a Disappearing Act on a Dirty Day down the Discotheque, making one Rattle and Hum with Desire for a City of Blinding Lights that seems like a Cartoon World on the 4th of July whilst the German tourists shout Achtung Baby to unsuspecting passers by who would, on Another Day, go to War with them on the Promenade, maybe in October(?), which would be a Race Against Time, but Eno's Pride lost the Plot in a 180 degree turn at the Playboy Mansion, near the red hill mining town called 'Testimony', to what, no one knows, but it could just be Van Diemen's Land where Miss Sarajevo lives in Mysterious Ways under that blasted tree of Joshua's on One Tree Hill and everyone turns Numb at The Speed of Life . . .

. . 'but it's The Sweetest Thing watching it Yoshino Blossom like that', said Steve Lillywhite With a Shout that made the Wild Honey turn as White as Snow . . . 'STOP' . .

. . . 'We're Running to Stand Still' said Paul Hewson as he stood on The Edge of the Ocean (yes, like all God's he is walking on water again).

'Look at the sky, did you have to go and Paint it Black like that' asked Eno, 'one more step and we are In God's Country.'

'. . . the night is full of holes, those bullets rip the sky of ink with gold, they twinkle as the boys play rock and roll, but they know that they can't dance, well at least they know . . .' thought Paul to himself as he stood there with his buddies looking out into the depths of internal despair.

'Why are we here' asked David Evans whilst standing next to the edge, looking out into infinity and beyond . .

'Because I'm,  looking for the Lady with the Spinning Head' answered Paul . . .

. . 'What, on Sunday, Bloody Sunday' remarked Mullen to the beat of a drum . .

. . 'If we jump now, what'll happen to The Mothers of the Disappeared' queried Clayton . .'Do they find God Part II?'

'She's a Mystery to Me' said Paul, 'Love is Blindness . . Like a Song . . . . I'll never feel the ground beneath her feet again . .

. . . is it time yet?'

'Yes' answered Evans whilst standing on The Edge.

'Get off me will ya', he quipped to himself, and so he tipped off and over the Edge . .

'Ok', said Paul, 'It's time to 11 O'Clock Tick Tock . . . '

WARNING: This video is just plane crazy. Abonophobics must avoid it at all costs, especially those with Eclectic Tendencies searching for the Edge of the Cartoon World as we know it: You won't find it here! 



It's a Beautiful Day people, and U2 should be pleased you've been 
a-Bono-Spoofed this way!

Till my next Post,

Doug ;-)

Does Practice Make Perfect? If you're really very good at something, chances are you have put in a lot of practice . . .

"Practice isn't the thing you do once you're good.

It's the thing you do that makes you good."

Malcolm Gladwell,

from the book

'Outliers;

The Story of Success.'

That is one very successful book, but tell me, if a book about failures doesn't sell, is it a success? Don't answer that just yet because studies show that ten thousand hours of practice are required to achieve the level of 'Mastery' associated with being world-class, successful, or an expert . . . in anything!

Ten Thousand hours?

Yeah, that's a lot of practice,

and that is what

separates out the chaff from the wheat!

Remember that little known band called The Beatles? The Who? No, The Beatles! Look, they didn't name themselves after a group of insects ya'know, they were better spellers than that! They named themselves by the Beat of their music, which had an originality to it. Well now, The Beatles did their Ten thousand hours of practice prior to hitting America in 1964. They first got together in 1957, seven years before landing States side of the big pond, and in 1960 they were still just a struggling high school rock band . . . but then they were invited to play in Hamburg, Germany.

Cutting a long story short, during their Hamburg period The Beatles managed to get in ten thousand hours of intensive practice time. What was so special about Hamburg? It wasn't that it paid well. It didn't. Or that the acoustics were fantastic. They weren't. Or that the audiences were savvy and appreciative. They were anything but. It was the sheer amount of time the band was forced to play.

Here is John Lennon, in an interview after The Beatles disbanded, talking about the band's performances at a Hamburg strip club called Indra (please read in a strong Liverpudlian accent):

"We got better and got more confidence. We couldn't help it with all the experience playing all night long. It was handy them being foreign. We had to try even harder, put our heart and soul into it, to get ourselves over.

In Liverpool, we'd only ever done one-hour sessions, and we just used to do our best numbers, the same ones, at every one. In Hamburg, we had to play for 'eight' hours, so we really had to find a new way of playing."

Eight hours a night . . . seven days a week . . . Hamburg was the place where the Beatles went from an average band to a great band. Why? Because they got in ten thousand hours of practice.

OK, The Beatles . . . that's just one such example, but these Studies have shown that every successful wo/man, band, sportsman etc. becomes successful not simply through their talent, but through the number of hours they put into practicing and developing that talent.

Yes it's true what they say, that practice makes perfect,

and ten thousand hours of practice makes for expertise and mastery of your subject.

As an aside I'd also say that 40 days and nights in the wilderness would probably equate to someone becoming enlightened for example . . . there would be plenty of hours of stillness, oneness and simply being in the moment; enough to break through the conditioning of the ego/mind.

So, what I'm saying here is that 'Success', on any level, requires a balance of both 'talent' and 'practice'. Yes, you can add words like perseverance and determination if you so choose, but . . .

. . . what it comes down to is this:

When you do something you really love to do, and you are also good at it, then the persistence and determination . . are already there . . . . they're a given. Why are they a given? Because you are doing something you love doing and are passionate about, you actually enjoy doing it and want to get better at it, now all you have to do is create a situation which equates to The Beatles 'Hamburg' scenario.

Don't worry about getting paid well (or at all) at this stage, don't be concerned with perfect circumstances, and don't expect everyone to appreciate what you're doing, not everyone will . . but after ten thousand hours of practice you'll be a Master of your subject, and the money, the applause and the appreciation will naturally follow. So . . .

. . . Just do it.

Follow your passion!

WARNING: No Beetles were harmed during the making of this video, although some Beatles lives were enhanced, and one does wonder just how many cockroaches The Beatles encountered during this process!

 

So, practice makes perfect, right? Which reminds me, isn't it a bit unnerving that doctors also call what they do "practice"? Or is it just me?
 
Ha, ha . . all the best till next time . .
 
Doug :-)